Crash beat me to it by suggesting its a possible astronomical reference; theres a bit of a tradition in anime of mixing up astronomical terms (galaxy for solar system etc) - 70s/80s Leeji Matsumoto originating series like "Captain Harlock" are especially good/bad at that.

"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.

Well, thanks for the info. It makes sense in a way. More so than being able to make 2 return journeys to Pluto and then travel beyond it and then return, all in one year.Blimey, they even landed on Jupiter!

Which is a neat trick in itself, considering that as far as anyone knows, Jupiter doesn't have a solid surface (except perhaps right at the core, but if you're that far into its atmosphere you'll have other worries, like being about a micron thick... Reminds me a little of a "Battle of the Planets" episode I saw when I was very young, when there was a cyborg horse race on Jupiter. Even then I knew there was something wrong there... (in the original "Science Ninja Team Gatchaman", of course, the race would have been on Earth).

"The power of bakers, the power of artists; even the power of witches! It must be a power given by God... sometimes we suffer for it."- Ursula, Kikis Delivery Service.

I think this knowledge of Jupiter was known even then. The planet still has one featue that would prevent humans even getting close, and that is a radioactive shield. Its several times bigger than the planet itself.That would also make it tricky to land on its moons too. At least they are all solid matter.Back to Pluto, its distance from the sun is hugely variable, due to a highly eliptical orbit. Its closer to the sun than Neptune at times.

Ok, so my inner geek has gone and done some maths.Pluto's distance from the sun varies between 2.76 billion miles and 4.58 billion miles.Depending on the distance, light will take between 41 and 69 hours to get there.Somehow, I don't think X-Bomber or Makara's Battlecruiser were going that fast.